that's a fascinating interpretation of what happened. I just asked where she got her info, she essentially responded defensively(and irrelevantly) "back off man, I'm a teacher and I've got a COLLEGE DEGREE! And I READ A LOT!"

No, that's not what happened. You made an incorrect claim, tsq corrected you, you asked for sources, and she told you she's a scholar and an expert in the field. Those are the facts. Now, a reasonable way to close it would be to say something along the lines of "cool, I didn't know that. thanks for the info. cheerio, mate!" But no, of course you can't do that. You have to dig your heel, and refuse to bulge even one inch. Now you can try to act all nonplussed and superior, but the truth is that you tried to be smug, and it backfired to your face. You can admit it, or you can keep digging. Your choice.

sonak wrote:

As someone with a degree myself and a good deal of post-baccalaureate education, that didn't exactly impress me.

It should, because it's relevant to the topic.

sonak wrote:

I'm not impressed by someone with an equivalent or less education than myself, no.

What about someone with a better education than yourself? Because I am pretty sure that would be me.

sonak wrote:

Also, I'm not impressed by someone who (laughably) sees himself as an initimidating bully either.

This is why you are not very good at this. Nobody sees himself as a bully; other people see them that way. (I'm not even going into the matter if laughing at your attempt to recover from a blunder would constitute bullying.) But try again next time, eh? Maybe you'll have better luck.